It Wasn't Meant To Be This Way
by BetterThanRealityFF
Summary: When Voldemort is victorious at the battle of Hogwarts, Hermione escapes with only one person for company and it's the last person she'd have chosen. What happens when the Professor she used to hate becomes the one stable thing in her life? Can they rewrite their relationship? More importantly can they rewrite history? HG/SS shipping.


**A/N - OK so I massively ship this pair and I've wanted to write a HG/SS story for ages but only just got round to it. Got a pretty good idea of where this story is going and I'm really excited to write for all you lovely people out there!**

I wish I knew how I came to be here, or rather, how we came to be here. But what happened last yesterday passed in such a blur I'm struggling to piece it all together. The three of us in the shrieking shack is the last thing I remember fully, the rest I'm having to piece together from flashbacks.

Xxx Flashback xxX

_I pressed two fingers into the area around his neck searching for a pulse, and felt the weakest of beats._

"_You two go on ahead, do what he said and take it to the penseive. I'm going to stay here, see what I can do."_

"_Mione, he killed Dumbledore. He's dead anyway."_

"_No, Ron, there's a pulse. Professor Snape taught us for 6 years, Dumbledore trusted him. I can't just walk away and leave him here to die."_

Xxx

From the middle of 6th Year, when Harry had first told us about the Horcruxes, I'd been assembling things that I thought might be needed at some point in the future. I wasn't proud of it but I started stealing from Professor Snape's stores, just like we had for the Polyjuice potion all those years ago. It started with just stealing ingredients, and then I'd brew in the room of requirement while the boys were at Quidditch practice. Then one day I spotted a small vial at the back of a shelf while I searched for some Murtlap tentacle, anti-venin, and instinctively I grabbed it and put it in my bag. And thank God I had! I remember scrambling around in my bag for it in the shrieking shack, and I remember how rapidly his pulse went up after I poured the potion down his throat. I knew it wouldn't be enough, and that's where the next flashback comes in. I remember taking him to the hospital wing, because that was my only option.

I stayed with him, I remember that much, until Voldemort bought Harry's body back from the Forest. When Harry rolled out of Hagrid's arms and the battle resumed, I raced back to help Madam Pomfrey defend the hospital wing. Next thing I knew I had apparated to the Forest of Dean, with a handful of potions and a half-alive Professor Snape propped against my shoulder.

I can only assume that Hogwarts had fallen, and Harry too. A strange image flickers in my mind of Death Eaters parading around the halls, killing the survivors with random bursts of green lights here and there. And, oh, they'd got Madame Pomfrey!

Xxx Flashback xxX

"_He's won. I'm so sorry, my dear, but Harry lost. Go! Take the Professor and get yourselves away. Take these potions, anti-venin and blood replenishing potions, he'll need them both twice a day."_

"_But Madame Pomfrey, how will I get out? You can't disapparate in the grounds of Hogwarts.."_

"_You can when you're with the Headmaster, it's one of the privileges, and as far as I know Professor Snape is still technically the Headmaster."_

_We hurried to get him out of bed and propped against my shoulder, for a very skinny man he was fairly heavy._

"_Good luck, Miss Granger." As I turned on my heel there was a final flash of green and a piercing scream that suggested Madame Pomfrey would not be as lucky as I._

Xxx

I don't know what made me pick this spot, it was one of the places we'd come on the Horcrux hunt, and it was the first place that popped into my mind. I placed Professor Snape's body on the ground as gently as possible and set to putting the tent up. The time it took to assemble properly, and get Professor Snape settled on a bed, I began to get nervous that I hadn't set the wards. Of course when there were three of us, it was much easier.

Thankfully we were deep enough into the Forest that only muggles would find us, and all they'd see would be a young girl camping. Even so, as soon as he was settled and I'd given him the potions, I set to work ensuring that we'd be safe overnight. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept, I was in no fit state to stay on watch, but I was confident enough that the wards would be enough.

Sinking onto the bed in the room next to Professor Snape's I allowed the tears that had been threatening all day to fall. Harry had died, he must have done. Hogwarts, the place I'd called home and that I'd grown up in, was probably nothing more than rubble. Who knows who else had been killed? I guessed I'd never know. This was my life now. On the run with nothing but a tent and a man who'd hated me.

I must have fallen asleep because I was suddenly jolted awake but sunlight bursting into the tent. It took a while to adjust to my surroundings, and the memories coming flooding back were painful. Checking my watch I knew that it was about time for Professor Snape to have another lot of potions. As I poured the liquids down his throat, being careful that he didn't choke, I was aware that we'd soon run out. There was only 3 of each left, meaning that if he didn't wake up by tomorrow evening, he most likely wouldn't make it.

Banishing that thought from my mind, I set to work out in the Forest. Having been here before I knew roughly where I could find berries, not that I was particularly hungry but I knew I'd need to eat to get some strength back. The battle had knocked a lot out of me, and when Professor Snape woke up he'd need food as well. Second on my to-do-list was to clean myself up. I was covered by dirt and dust from in the battle, and I felt like I was covered in blood. The blood of everyone that died.

And that was my to-do-list completely exhausted. Only then did it hit me how alone and useless I really was. All my life, I'd had something to do, but here there was nothing. My education was over, the battle was over, so what was my purpose? I had to heal Professor Snape, that's what. But apart from the potions there was little I could do, I was a girl not a St Mungos healer. Reaching in my bag for the Charms book, I dedicated my time to learning the small chapter on diagnostic spells. The collection of berries began to dwindle and I began to ration them, only eating one when I'd reached the end of a page.

Reaching the end of the chapter I realised that even if any of these spells were useful, I wouldn't feel comfortable attempting them for the first time without any help. Instead I assessed him manually, checking his pulse and temperature. Both seemed fine so I started cleaning him up. In the Hospital Wing all the focus had been on closing the wound and getting as much of the venom out as possible, now he was more stable I decided to clean the wound as best I could.

I started by opening his robes, exposing a plain white shirt underneath. Slowly, I undid the buttons, my hands shaking as I did do. It just felt so intimate; I know if he was awake he'd push me away as hard as he could. His skin was deathly pale, and I was unsure whether that was his normal colour or due to the blood loss.

I could have cleaned it quickly with Scourgify, but magic made me nervous, I thought that maybe they'd be able to track us. Instead I settled for cool water and a sponge that I transfigured out of a pillowcase. With each wipe the dried blood washed away and the Professor looked more normal. The wounds still looked horrendous and would leave permanent scars, but at least it wouldn't be infected now.

I buttoned up his shirt, but couldn't bring myself to leave his bedside. Even though he wasn't talking, the company was comforting. So for an hour or so I sat next to him and talked to him. And when I ran out of things to say I read to him from a Potions textbook in my bag. If, by any chance, he could hear me, he'd be bored stiff.

Mid-afternoon I sat outside the tent enjoying the cool breeze. Evidently last night's sleep hadn't fully refreshed me as soon my eyelids began to droop and I allowed myself to slip into a light doze. What felt like moments later, I was yanked out of my sleep by grunts coming from inside the tent. Rushing into Professor Snape's room a beaming smile covered my face as I saw that he was awake and struggling to sit up.

"No, professor, you need to stay still. Don't struggle."

Turning his head to face me, the terror that was in his eyes changed to confusion as he struggled to adapt to his new surroundings.

"Granger?"

Completely abandoning my no-magic plan, I filled a cup with water and handed it to Professor Snape who had somehow dragged himself into a sitting position. Silence hung between us as he gulped the whole lot down.

"Granger, you've got a lot of explaining to do."


End file.
